30^th International Conference on Adolescent Medicine & Child Psychology August 05-06, 2019 Dublin, Ireland

Biography:

It is ‘Pete’s’ belief that through interactive, practical and individualizing of each principle, every person can tap into a more confident self and in doing so build a sound communicative platform that will encourage drive towards meeting one's aspirations, that he believes strongly in after recovering from severe brain trauma sustained as a child. From the age of 11, with very little chance of a ‘normal life’ Pete is now 44 years of age aims to make as much an impact in the world perticularly to those in the less fortunate community who do not always have access to professional services such as psychological and social work services.

Abstract:

At the age of 11, Peter sustained neurological damage caused by the impact from a motor vehicle accident (MVA) that resulted in him fracturing his skull and losing consciousness. The physiological results left him paralyzed down the left side of his body and a broken neck.   He was placed on life support in ICU with the medical staff holding very little hope for him regaining consciousness. It was the view of neurologists that should Peter regain consciousness that he would be severely handicapped and need continued special care and would it would be unlikely that he would ever complete his schooling. Today, after recovering significantly from his injuries, aspires to uplift and encourage ALL peoples of ALL ages.  He qualified in 2013 from the South African College of Applied Psychology with a Diploma in Counselling and Communications, went on to study in the fileds of educational psychology, forensic and criminological psychology, nutrition, occupational therapy and speech and language so that he gained the value and insight to provide the best community based support to people. He has developed a unique theortical framework that explores the impact of electronic devices, gaming, gambling and other factors that are influencing the future adults of tomorrow.  Whilst this paper is progressive and is not clinically based, it is beleived that the reserach and real time expereince with clients give a envaluable insight into the ‘good and bad’ factors of what is entitled “Virtual Distortion Syndrome”. Through this paper and possible presentation, it is hoped that more research will be done to bring about effective regulational skills to avoid children and adolescents be ‘sucked into cyberspace.”

Biography:

Dr Anna Orylska is Vice-Director of the Institute of Clinical Psychology and Head of the Department of Clinical Psychology of a Child at SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities. She had internships in the Developmental Brain-Behaviour Laboratory at the University of Southampton, UK and in Child Study Center at New York University. She conducts research on the diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in preschool and early-school age and effective stimulation of executive functions in the disorder.

Abstract:

Computerized training typically focuses on increasing short-term memory and working memory skills using adaptive procedures that are delivered across multiple 30-40 minute sessions each week for adolescent and adults. Task difficulty is typically adjusted automatically to performance across sessions to maximize learning at the boundaries of an individual’s competence. Several recent reviews of research in working memory training have questioned the viability of existing training programs to impact core symptoms and improve daily functioning in individuals diagnosed with ADHD. These have highlighted the lack of scientific rigour in existing studies. In addition, they have raised concerns around goodness of fit that reflects the heterogeneous symptom profile in ADHD. For example, researchers have concluded that the results of WM training studies are inconsistent because of inadequate controls and ineffective measures to understand change in core cognitive functioning. Traditional approaches that aim to understand the effects of training is pre-post- tests outcome measures. Investigating learning trajectories in a computerized working memory training (WMT) is a novel approach to understand the effectiveness of computerized cognitive training. We explored in our study whether growth mixture modelling (GMM) could identify different trajectories of learning efficiency during a WMT for children with ADHD, compared with a typically developing group, and if learning trajectories and outcomes were different for simple and complex training tasks.The comparison between the more traditional approach and the approach presented by learning trajectories may explore who would benefit most from computerized cognitive training.

Biography:

Christopher Mohan studied Medicine at Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland and graduated in July 2010. He completed his Master’s degree in Psychiatric Medicine at the Health Education and Training Institute, New South Wales, Australia, graduating in April 2018. He is currently a Basic Specialist Trainee (BST) with the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland.

Abstract:

CanMEDS is a framework for physician competency and supports the need to provide psychoeducation. The development of a teaching resource, using augmented reality (AR), that can be used to inform young children and their parents about the Broken Mirror Neuron Hypothesis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), would support recovery oriented care. Impairment of the mirror neuron system in ASD has been associated with difficulties in social communication skills. By the information provided by parent regarding this theory and enabling an opportunity to discuss the information, the foundations on which the child develops their concept of illness can be improved. This is supported by recovery models, which emphasise the involvement of parents in care. Technology is helpful in teaching skills to children and AR may be beneficial in the development of social communication skills because children with ASD like digital media are often visual learners and have visual thought patterns. The resource was designed as a children’s book that uses AR to enhance the reader’s experience and should be used by the child in conjunction with an adult. It includes instructions for parents on how to interpret the short story for their child. Implementation of the teaching resource and evaluation of its effectiveness would further develop the resource. Disadvantages of an AR book are that it requires access to a smartphone and use may be limited by the reader’s socioeconomic status and their level of education. The AR teaching resource aims to provide psychoeducation and promote recovery oriented care.

Biography:

Beatrice Adriana Balgiu is PhD psychologist and Associate professor at the University Politehnica of Bucharest. His concerns are related to positive psychology. She published several empirical studies about creativity, well-being, resilience, cognitive-emotional coping strategies. She has actively participated in the European Health Psychology Society conferences and has been involved in national and international research projects also.  She is a reviewer at the American Journal of Educational Research and Psychological Reports.

Abstract:

Objectives: The main objective of this study is to identify the creative self concept evolution from the early adolescence to the emerging adulthood and to analyze a pattern of relationship between creative self-concept and big five personality traits in comparison between adolescents and emerging adults.

Method: The participants were two groups of subjects, adolescents (N = 100; M_age = 15.97) and emerging adults (N = 390; M_age = 19.07) who completed measures for assessing big five personality traits (big five inventory-10) and creative self-concept and its dimensions in creative self-efficacy, the confidence in creative capacity and creative personal identity. The importance of creativity for self-description (Short Scale for Creative Self).

Results: The results show that the group of adolescents get higher scores than the emerging adults group at the creative self-concept, and its dimensions, suggesting that creative identity and belief over their own creative abilities are important to adolescents after which this importance begins to decline. The structural equation model shows that for creative self-efficacy, important predictors are Openness and Extraversion both for adolescents and for emerging adults, and for creative personal identity, predictor is Openness for adolescents and Openness and Agreeableness in emerging adults. The conscientiousness, neuroticism and gender do not constitute significant predictors of the creative self-concept and its parameters for either of the two age groups.

Conclusions: We consider the relationship between creative self-concept and personality develops and becomes more complex as the transition from adolescence to emerging adulthood and adult age later.

Biography:

Daniel B Jacobs is an Assistant Professor in the School Psychology Department at William James College in Newton, MA. He earned his Psy.D., in Clinical Psychology from William James College, his Ed.M. from Harvard University and M.B.A. from Salem State University. He is the former Director of adolescent and adult partial hospital programs at Salem Hospital, and worked in hospitals and clinics for 15 years before teaching. He had a private practice for over 20 years working with adolescents and adults with dual diagnosis concerns and developed and teaches addressing substance abuse in schools for graduate students

Abstract:

In recent years, opioid abuse linked deaths of young people and older adults have gathered a great deal of media attention. Many reactive responses have targeted adults but have neglected our younger students, where substance abuse concerns often start. Clinicians and educators working in primary and secondary schools have the opportunity to implement substance abuse prevention efforts that can effectively help the opioid problem before it happens and if given the right training in assessment and intervention, but substance abuse education in mental health graduate programs is limited or absent. School based clinicians can play a powerful role in the development of substance abuse programming that addresses psychological concerns and fosters school connectedness, self-esteem, self-efficacy, which can help save students’ lives. In this session we will look at evidence based research on motivations behind opioid and other substance abusing behaviors and on programmatic options designed to effectively address these concerns at early and later stages of usage patterns. We will also look at how this information can be implemented in actual school settings and not just in pilot or research settings. We will also explore the results of the presenter’s recent study which surveyed the principals/headmasters of high schools in Massachusetts about substance abuse prevention and intervention knowledge and practices, and how this information is being incorporated into a graduate level training course entitled “Addressing Substance Abuse in Schools.” This training will focus on practical strategies which can help students, clinicians and schools more effectively address the challenge of student opioid and other substance abuse.